The U.K.'s record-breaking heat wave threatens to become the new normal

The United Kingdom is generally known for its relatively moderate temperatures, including cool summers and winters that are generally mild. This week, though, the British Isles are undergoing the most intense heat wave on record, with temperatures at Heathrow Airport hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday.

There is no other way to explain this development than human-made climate change bringing the heat to what were once temperate areas of the planet. There will soon be few countries left untouched, no region of the Earth that can’t expect punishing heat during its summer months. The only question left is whether such widespread consequences of a changing climate will finally spark the will to mitigate what’s likely to become an even more dire situation.

While Tuesday was the first time in recorded history that the U.K. hit 40 Celsius, or 104 F, it most likely won’t be the last. According to The Washington Post, some climate change models show that that temperature “could happen once every 15 years by 2100 if countries meet their carbon emission promises — or once every three or four years if they continue to emit as much pollution as they do today.”